Some 200 people employed as sources by the police and Rapid Action Battalion in Dhaka city to get secret information are now engaged in infighting over conflicts of interest in different localities, highly placed sources said.
Many of sources are said to have been involved in extortion and other criminal activities in the city by using their ‘hobnob’ with the law enforcing agencies. The two agencies maintain no less than 500 such sources to get tip-off needed for crime busting.
At least five professional sources of the police and Rab were killed in old part of Dhaka city in the past three weeks, found a daily sun investigation.
One of the sources murdered recently was Amir Hossain, who was employed for providing the law enforcers information in Demra-Sutrapur zone. He was killed in Dhalpur, North Jatrabari on 25 February at about 2:00pm.
The two siblings — Jony and Babu — were killed by miscreants in Kadamtali area on 7 March. They were reportedly members of criminal gang of Kaillya Amir group and also served as sources of the law enforcers.
Another ‘source’ named Monir was murdered in South Jatrabari area on 14 February. He was son of Ali Hossain, a resident of Ghuntighar area there.
Sources in the agencies admitted that some of their informers on pay roll are increasingly getting involved in criminal activities. A few sources even identify them as journalists for blackmailing the people, the police sources said.
In one case, sources in the police said, a criminal threatened a journalist of a daily newspaper and demanded money, using a cell phone number 01938357672 which was diverted to the number of officer-in-charge of Jatrabari police station KM Abul Quashem’s official mobile phone number.
The criminal called the journalist and sent him a short test message which read that he would be murdered the way Amir Hossain was killed.
The detective branch of police investigated the case following two general diaries filed by the journalist.
The DB police later found the owner of cell phone one Salim, son of Abdus Salam of 149, South Jatrabari, and arrested him from Jatrabari area on 28 February.
Salim confessed that his close associate one Shahabuddin Sagor, a resident of the same area, used this cell number during the said period, sources in the police said.
“The said Sagor and Salim are connected with the police and Rab as their informers,” said a police officer. “Sagor may have diverted the phone call but Salim, too, cannot avoid his liability as the number is registered against his name,” the officer added.
Sagor went into hiding after the arrest of Salim who has now been detained under section 54, investigation officer (IO) of the case SI Ayub Ali said.
Sagor has been implicated in as many as 15 general diaries filed with Demra, Jatrabari and Sutrapur police stations. He along with his accomplices has been accused of various types of criminal activities, including extortion and harassment of businessmen.
When contacted, Jatarabari OC Abul Qushem termed it a minor issue and said Sagor is an illiterate street boy. “Local residents and traders know who Sagor is and what his profession is,” he said.
Police sources and local people suspect that a key reason of murder of a number of ‘sources’ is conflict between different groups and efforts by each of them to establish dominance in their respective areas.
Some of the local people also said they could recognise the ‘sources’ of the law enforcing agencies because of their arrogant behaviour and lack of hesitations in exposing their identity.
When asked for comments, former Inspector General of Police (IGP) ASM Shahjahan said the police do not officially admit appointment of sources. “But it is there and without sources the police will not be always successful to catch anti-social elements,” he said.
The former police chief also acknowledged that ‘sources’ sometimes try to misguide the police taking advantage of a situation.
“We need stronger counter body to ensure accountability and professionalism of the law enforcing agencies. Such a process may prevent criminals from feeding information to the police and other agencies,” he added.
News Source: The Daily Sun